Best Genealogy Podcasts to Listen to

In this post we are going to take a look at the world of genealogy podcasts and try to find you the best to listen to for both entertainment and also to perhaps help your personal growth as a researcher.

Why Listen to Genealogy Podcasts?

As much as we think we know about being a genealogist it is safe to say no one knows it all and there is always something new to learn. Genealogy is a hobby in which we are constantly learning and encountering new mysteries and formulating new ways to work around problems.

Being a part of the genealogical community helps us all greatly as we can share our experiences and learn from those of others. Listening to podcasts where genealogists gather together and discuss various aspects of research can greatly help us in developing our research style and learning new tricks.

Not only do we learn more but we might even find the content entertaining. Choosing the right podcast for you will come down to finding one that not only captures your attention and interest but also helps you as a genealogist.

The Family Tree Magazine Podcast

With a new episode released twice a month the Family Tree Magazine Podcast is hosted by some of the magazine's editors and experts and often features special guest interviewees. Recent guests have included James Beidler speaking on Germany’s historical border changes and Cyndi Ingle of the extremely helpful Cyndi’s List website.

Each podcast has a different theme and focus seeking to increase the understanding of many aspects of genealogical research. This is a short podcast format in general falling usually shy of 40 minutes for the longer episodes.

Family Tree Magazine itself has been around for a while and has served as an important tool for learning more about genealogy and finding out the latest news in the world of family history research.

Extreme Genes Podcast

Extreme Genes refers to itself as the “Most listened-to family history radio show and podcast in America” and they may be absolutely correct about that. With weekly podcasts airing they have already amassed a vast library of shows.

As of September 2023 they have in the region of 500 episodes posted on a wide range of topics. They do not shy away from the darker sides of genealogy understanding that family histories sometimes are warts and all.

This is a great podcast that does not give an overly sanitized view of what we need to be looking for in our families' histories. Sometimes we have criminal ancestors, ones who have done things that are morally abhorrent to us but yet are nonetheless our ancestors.

They like to emphasize the emotional aspects of genealogical research which may impact us and they also talk about newer tech advances that can help our research. Example episodes include:

• British “Who Do You Think You Are?” Host and Researcher Learns Great Uncle Was a Soviet Spy
• When Germans Aren’t from Germany ? Another Census Alternative: Jury Records
• Witness Stones Project Teaches Students Research and History

The Photo Detective Podcast

Hosted by Maureen Taylor, a genealogist with a fascination for historical family photographs, The Photo Detective Podcast is pretty much self explanatory. We often underestimate the clues that can be gathered from old photographs and the fun we can have in trying to identify individuals who we may know by name but have never seen before.

Maureen describes her own skills as living at the junction of history, genealogy and photography, she brings these skills to us through her varied podcasts. Recent shows include:

• The Story Behind Twentieth Century Skirts with Dr. Kimberly Chrisman Campbell
• Meet Me At The Biltmore by Amanda Blount
• Egyptomania and Your Family Photos
• Seeing Double: Talking Look-alikes with Francois Brunnelle

Listening to this podcast may help us improve our forensic genealogy knowledge, developing skills to identify people in images, to preserve old pictures and recognize older photography styles.

The Genealogy Guys

The two man podcast team of George G. Morgan and Drew Smith release shows at least monthly but sometimes may throw two out to us per month if we are lucky. George is a published genealogy author and Drew is a library and information science instructor at the University of South Florida.

Podcasting since 2005 the Genealogy Guys as of September 2023 gave us 419 podcasts so there is an extensive back catalogue to check out or you can pick up with the most recent. Episodes are packed with the latest news, interviews and the latest topics of interest in the world of genealogy.

Genealogy Gems

Hosted by accomplished genealogical author Lisa Louise Cooke, Genealogy Gems is a fantastic show. A regular column contributor to Family Tree Magazine, Cooke is font of knowledge regarding genealogy and her impressive back catalogue of podcast work is definitely worth giving a listen.

Touching on important subjects such as records and case studies with almost 280 episodes as of September 2023 there is a lot to learn from Cooke.

Ancestral Findings

Another top podcast which hits the airwaves weekly is the Ancestral Findings podcast. As part of the main site which also features articles and research sources there is an impressive back catalog of shows on a wide variety of topics. Recent titles include:

• Do You Have Irish Genealogy? Use This Handy Surname Guide to Trace Your Heritage
• Your Guide to Spanish Last Names and Their Meanings
• Using Freedmen’s Records in Genealogical Research
• Tips to Find Ancestors with Frustratingly Common Surnames

Final Thoughts

There are literally dozens of genealogy podcasts out there, way more than we have mentioned today. You can check out our favorites but you can also look at some other options as well. The more we read or listen to the more we can potentially learn from the genealogy community.

Neil Edwards

Genealogist and family-tree research specialist

Neil was born in Shropshire, England surrounded by centuries of living history. His interest in the past has been a lifelong passion leading to undergraduate degrees in both Economic History & Geography and History & Politics.

This interest in history quickly translated to family history when he moved to the U.S. in 2010. It was here that he began working on his own family tree as well as that of his American wife. That research allowed him to gain a wealth of experience working with both U.S. and European genealogical documents and studying their best uses in researching family history.

Following 9 years of honing his genealogical research skills, Neil was proud to have earned a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in late 2019. Neil also took part in the research process for a Duke University study into the families of 19th Century UK Members of Parliament.

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